Chapter Text
Epilogue
July, three years later
“Great harvest this year, Louis!”
Louis climbs down from the ladder he is perched on to pick some ripe peaches.
“Thanks Mrs. Davis,” he says, wiping his hands on his pants and looking down at the basket she’s holding, full of his juicy looking fruit. “These’ll make for a nice cobbler.”
She smiles and nods, giving him a pat on the shoulder before leaving. Louis looks around him, breathing in the warm summer air.
Harvest has been plentiful this year, and the crowds have been just as numerous. There are dozens of families around despite it still being quite early in the day, kids running around the rows of trees and exasperated parents trying to wrangle them.
Louis can imagine their own kids running around here in a few years, peach juice running down their chins as Harry and him chase them around to apply more sunscreen on them. He can’t wait.
Shaking himself away from his thoughts, Louis picks up his ladder and moves on to the next tree, greeting a few locals and tourists along the way.
He spends the rest of the morning high up in the trees, until Harry comes to take him away for lunch.
“Come on, I packed us a picnic,” Harry attempts to convince him, as if Louis could ever say no to him.
He’s holding a large wicker basket Louis is certain is filled with lots of delicious food, a blue and green chequered blanket tucked under his other arm. He’s wearing denim shorts and a soft pink t-shirt, and he’s pulled the front bits of his hair up into a small butterfly clip. He looks like an absolute dream, and Louis can’t believe he gets to call him his.
Louis climbs down from the ladder again to greet Harry with a kiss. The other boy smells like sunscreen and peaches and something that’s just so perfectly Harry.
They’ve luckily managed to hire a few people to help around the orchard for the summer this year, so the farm will be just fine if they slip away for a few hours.
“You look lovely,” Louis says, taking the basket from Harry in one hand and lacing their fingers together with the other.
Harry blushes at the compliment, squeezing Louis’ hand as they walk towards the back of the farm away from the crowds.
The sun is shining high in the sky as they find a quiet spot in the grass to lay their blanket on. They sit side by side and Louis opens the basket to reveal its contents: freshly squeezed lemonade, egg salad sandwiches, watermelon slices and peaches, of course. All no doubt lovingly prepared and put together by his lovely fiancé.
A ray of sunlight catches the ring on Harry’s left hand – a beautiful gold ring adorned with a deep blue stone Louis used to propose last year. Provided all things go smoothly, they’re set to get married in the fall, right here on the orchard. Harry has been heavily involved with the planning of every little detail, and Louis is incredibly endeared and happy to let him dream up the perfect wedding for the both of them.
“I love you,” Louis says, just because he can.
Harry’s smiling, clearly used to Louis’ random displays of affection by now. “I love you too.”
They eat until their bellies hurt from how full they are and their cheeks ache from making each other laugh so much.
“You’ve got something there,” Harry says, using his thumb to wipe away a lone crumb from Louis’ cheek, then pressing a kiss to it.
Louis can’t help the giggle that escapes his mouth, so happy he’s bursting at the seams with it. He wraps his arm around Harry’s shoulders, tugging until they’re both laying on their backs and looking up at the sky.
It’s a beautiful bright blue today, with just enough passing clouds to allow them to gaze up at them and point out shapes to each other.
They spend the next hour doing just that, or maybe two. Louis isn’t really keeping track, and he’s found out over the years that time always seems to go by a lot faster when he’s with Harry.
“Our surrogate called earlier.” Harry reveals after a while.
Louis quickly pushes himself up into a sitting position, twisting to look at Harry.
The other boy is still laying in the grass, a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips as he looks up at Louis.
They’ve been waiting for this call for two weeks now, ever since the appointment at the hospital, and to say Louis has been a bit of a nervous trainwreck about it would be a massive understatement.
“Did she?” Louis asks, voice already breaking in anticipation. “What did she say?”
Harry is taking too long to answer, in Louis’ opinion, and he’s about to urge him on when the words he’s been waiting to hear for a very long time tumble from his lover’s lips.
“She’s pregnant. We’re going to have a baby, Lou.”
Louis thinks he’s never seen Harry look so elated before, his grin so wide it has to hurt, and his eyes filling up with tears that are threatening to fall any second.
Louis is right there with him, and he grasps one of Harry’s hands in his to steady himself a little.
“Can you say that again?” Louis says, voice barely above a whisper. He needs to hear it one more time, to make sure he hasn’t misheard. “Please?”
“She’s pregnant.” Harry indulges him immediately. “We’re going to be daddies, Louis.”
Louis’ on him before he can even finish the last sentence, leaning as close as possible to Harry and sealing their lips together in a passionate kiss.
It almost feels just as special as the first kiss they shared in this very field, butterflies dancing in Louis’ stomach as he attempts to convey all of his love for Harry in a single fleeting moment.
“Feels like I’m dreaming,” Louis says once he pulls away, dropping back down next to Harry to gaze up at the sky again, their hands still linked together between their bodies.
Harry rolls over on his side to look at him, and Louis easily cranes his neck to let their eyes meet.
Louis can’t help but feel like he’s won the jackpot. Laying beside him, eyes filled with excitement and adoration, is the world’s kindest, most handsome man Louis has ever had the chance to meet in his whole life. He’s having trouble believing they are not only engaged, but expecting a baby within the next year. Louis must have been a saint in a previous life to end up so lucky in this one.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Harry asks.
Louis lets a soft laugh fall from his mouth, scooting closer to Harry and pressing a kiss to his forehead. He lingers there for a moment, basking in the happiness.
“Just thinking about how glad I am that you came back from New York,” Louis says eventually. “And that we managed to get our shit together in the end.”
Harry giggles, wrapping one arm around Louis. “Me too. And I can’t wait for our baby to arrive.”
Louis doesn’t have to speak for Harry to know he agrees, the huge smile on his face speaking for itself.
Harry props himself up on one elbow, leaning in closer to Louis for a kiss before he somehow loses his balance and slips back to the ground.
Louis laughs. “Hopefully, the baby won’t inherit your lack of limb coordination,” he says before bending down to press their lips together the way Harry had intended.
Harry giggles, used to Louis’ teasing by now, but still lightly smacks him across the chest. “Heyy, I know you love me,” he whines, holding out his left hand so that Louis can see his engagement ring. “Clumsiness and all!”
“Of course I do,” Louis agrees easily before kissing Harry one more time.
He wouldn’t have it any other way.